"Blinded by what's above
Never looking at what's beneath us
We Search for an answer amongst an ocean of stars
When infinite truths lurk in the grains of sand we tread on
But what is true could also be false
It could be here yet nowhere at all.
The only thing true in this world is whether we rise or fall"
~First Generation Leader of Axiom Monastery: Sioux Axiom
Who would've thought a simple job would turn out to be so difficult? Who would've thought so?
A decision taken in haste usually never goes the way one imagines it to be. Arrogance never favors winners but instead losers and that was what Neil had experienced on his short journey thus far.
Mistakes were made, his lack of awareness, arrogance and minor short comings lead him near to death but those were all common in a young boy trying to navigate his way through the world.
He learnt and grew wiser and now this battle would be his most difficult.\
He could feel the pressure of her pinkish Nux. It was grand, overwhelming and more oppressive. Her mature beauty was radiant but the intent to kill clearly was within the shadows of her radiance.
Neil's eyes widen in trepidation at this sensation and now realized what he was up against.
A Pseudo Corporal Aspect Practitioner.
Yes, she was just on the brink of breaking through. This was news to him; it seemed she was truly going all out on him.
She on the other hand felt his aura change, more like his Nux faded away but she felt a different pressure coming from him. It wasn't that his Nux suddenly increased but she felt it become different, ethereal, intangible. She couldn't sense it but she knew it was there; it made her serious. The other 3 she fought didn't give her this illusory yet real feeling and so she beckoned to go all out against Neil because he was indeed not an ordinary Citnth.
Both looked at each other with seriousness, they both took their stances.
Boom!!
In the heavy pouring rain, their explosive movement caused air pockets to appear which made the droplets of rain blow outwards and when both of them struck each other's right and left fist respectively, an air pressure bombarded the vicinity halting even the rain for a few seconds. She had the edge over Neil in strength hence he was forced backwards.
When he unclenched his fist, he could feel that his bones were cracked in his knuckles.
She kept the pressure on delivering a roundhouse kick straight to his gut which he dodged by jumping up tucking in his knees then countered by extended one of his legs to deliver a straight kick which she simply ducked and proceeded to do a back handspring increasing the space between them.
Immediately, she stood up and swung her moon blade horizontally from left to right straight to his neck and he conjured a rune that turned into long azure rune blade using the flat side of the blade to block the attack. He flicked his wrist turning the blade which forced her moon blade away, he proceeded to swing his blade vertically downwards but she simply turned her body gracefully evading the attack.
The exchange continued for a bit longer, they both would attack and the other would either block or counter attack. Neil suffered the most, with visible cuts dousing his entire body as she left the confrontation with almost no injuries.
Neil being on the backfoot kept his distance and took a quick breath.
As for her, she stood there smiling brushing the strands of snow silver hair backwards. Her smooth skin was still pristine even in her damaged dress, when Neil looked at her again, he felt that she had gotten more beautiful than ever. She seemed to be glistening; her red lips were pressed together in a seductive manner with her silver eyes seemingly enticing him.
He knew it was her Charming Law again. Law of Seduction.
But he was prepared and swung his arm creating the necessary runes to reduce the Law's potency but, in that moment, Neil reacted she moved soo quick and appeared beside him punching his ribs which forced him backwards once again.
She kept pressuring him and opened her lips exhaling a pink mist when she was close to his face. Neil reacted by covering his nose with the sleeve of his forearm but that was her opportunity.
She appeared through the mist right in his blind spot with her hand clenched into a fist. Neil froze right there and then. He could not move, it as if the Air itself had closed in on him like being trapped in a 4-corner room with no escape.
"That was fun…., you really made this enjoyable.", she said with a lustrous smile.
"So, this is your Law linked to Wind, huh?", Neil said in a bland tone.
"Indeed, Law of Air: Fourway Death Trap ", its quite the ability I must say.
I never got your name, what is it?", he asked.
Confident in her victory she responded.
"Sayuri", she said.
"I see…",
Neil then felt his body being compressed under her Law of Air. Every muscle, bone and tissue began to squeeze in on itself and the pain coming through was unimaginable.
"Goodbye, Darling.", she smiled then chuckled loudly in her usually charming voice.
Just as he was about to be squeezed to death …. His entire figure vanished.
Sayuri blinked twice and thought it was an illusion. Neil wasn't in her Death trap anymore. He was just gone and she was shocked.
"What the…", she said before a hazy figure appeared a few meters away from her.
"Not bad …", Neil said.
"How did ….", her question was interrupted by his disappearance once again and in mere moments she felt something thus she quickly swung her body backwards avoiding a lethal cut to her neck.
Neil appeared again.
"Oh, you dodged that. I'm surprised."
She touched her neck and a little bit of blood trickled down from the wound. It wasn't very deep but it shook her to the core because she would've been dead if she did not react on time.
"You!!", she was now angry.
"Don't worry, there will not be a next time", Neil said but he knew he had end this quick after all, his Space-Time was not a Law for long term use. He took all her attacks just to accumulate enough Nux to enact his Law.
"We will see about that", although her anger was prominent now, her beauty remained and Neil indeed did admire her for that but that wouldn't matter because in a life or death battle the fallen ones are forever buried in the annuals of time.
Its time to end this.